Reviews – Thoughts – Whatever

If you’re going to make a reasonable representation of school life in Japan, you need to check all of the appropriate boxes. School festival? Check. Maid cafe? Check. Crushing romantic disappointment? Probably.

“Rainy Conductor”

Where are all the customers?

Advertising goals.

Don’t look directly in to her eyes.

She’s been entranced.

With the regional competition successfully out of the way, it’s time to take a moment to relax before getting back to the practice room. And what better way is there to let go for a moment than a school festival? A lot of things, probably. Those festivals looks like a lot of work. But that timing dictates that we need a light-hearted break after all that tension and drama. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though (I’ll show myself out).

A literal tall-order.

They get the shy one to host.

Someone needs to wear it.

This is definitely her thing.

The festival itself had all the standard fair, but there was also a good amount of trope subversion and self-awareness. Maid cafes are a dime a dozen in school anime, because if you can dress your main characters up in humiliatingly cute costumes, you pretty much have to. All of the art and character designs here are pristine as usual, from Kumiko’s Alice in Wonderland maid outfit and Mizore’s slightly more traditional look, to Asuka and her hat. Speaking of Asuka, she is pretty spot-on with her analysis of Kumiko – but it’s hard not to be with a catch-all like romance trouble or self-consciousness. Music also makes an appearance at the festival for a moment, which although the choice of music was not overly entertaining to a band geek it certainly draws the crowds. The animation once again follows the music perfectly – a testament to the animators’ attention to detail and sync.

“Pervert”

Oh, what a coincidence.

What high school memories are made of.

It was going so well too.

It can’t be all sunshine and rain- OK I almost did it again, but you get the point. There has to be something more going on during an event like a school festival than just festivities. In this case, Shuichi finally gets a bit more development in his endeavor to win Kumiko’s heart in the most shy way possible – that is until he is interrupted by the most on-the-nose mood-breaking ghost you will ever see. We all know who the real love interest is here. Reina doesn’t accomplish much either, to be fair. She manages to trick some younger girls away from her beloved, but she is otherwise in the same longing position as always. Could be a rough go for her in the future.

Don’t mention boys.

Your room is too perfect.

Don’t mess with her.

A meteorology degree for this?

There’s a little more information about what’s going on with Kumiko’s sister, but it’s all still pretty vague. If she’s not just dropping out because of grades, then there must be something more depressing on the horizon. But the real drama here is with Taki-sensei, and once again Kumiko is the one who knows every secret. We already knew about his wife, but now we get to see his continued devotion to her memory. Does that mean someone can’t move on? No. But it might be a long-shot for his first real relationship after losing his true love to be one of his students. His connection to Kitauji is also quite strong, with his late wife’s life wish to lead the school to a gold at the nationals. It’s a strong emotional arch for the series, but who are we kidding. There’s no way they’re going to lose the nationals. Wait. I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere recently…

Fancy meeting you here.

A champion of love.

The breakfast club.

The end of days.

Episode Score8.8/10 (Very Good)

Summary: Everyone tries to make some romantic headway at the school festival. Some people are just harder to reach than others – especially if you’re after your teacher.

Challenge accepted.

Extra thoughts:– Their competition piece would be far more entertaining.
– I’m really liking this pair recently.
– That’s a sham of a cat cafe.
– Kumiko must know Shuichi likes her. Just look at her face.
– Sweet ride.
– Reina has some stiff competition… yep. Not sorry.
– Every umbrella’s final destination.

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Welcome to Clouded Anime! Summer is here, and there’s all new anime to be had. Have a great time reading, reacting, commenting, and more!

*Generally some spoilers in the episode reviews*

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